


A Really, Really Small Thing

by NavigatorV



Series: Life Under the New Moon [1]
Category: Zero Escape (Video Games), Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - Fandom, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma - Fandom
Genre: Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-27 15:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10030334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NavigatorV/pseuds/NavigatorV
Summary: After an uneventful day scavenging, a sound breaks through the rain surrounding Junpei on his way home.





	

Was that thunder? No, just the rain picking up. Again. True, it was definitely an improvement over having to deal with next to no water at all, but did it really have to rain every other day? Junpei sighed as his boots sloshed through the muck and filth-filled water. This was it. This is where his life had lead. His tools grew heavy in his grip whilst he tried to hurry beyond the wreckage his latest job had taken him to.

"Nothing but waste and rocks today."

He said this in disappointment, when in reality it was a daily occurrence. This place he'd picked in particular was growing more and more barren of resources. If he couldn't find something, anything, rare within the next few weeks, he'd have to go back to a settlement.

"Yeah. Not happening."

His face felt coarse under the wet as he rubbed it with his free hand. It seemed that toiletries would have to be put on the back-burner again. His living arrangement was a less than stellar "apartment". In reality, it was just a rundown dorm that someone managed to snatch up during the chaos of the last 30 some-odd years. It was damp, drafty, and very cramped, yet somehow it still beat out living in a settlement. 19 hour work shifts just so he could eat half-expired food then be able to flush what came out of his bowels were most definitely not among Junpei's favorite ways of living, so his bitter existence among the remnants of society suited him well enough.

He continued along in the depressive atmosphere, barely paying any mind to the ruins that littered his surroundings; he just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Then he heard it: despite the torrent of rain nearly making all other sound inaudible, he definitely heard the muffled cries of a child. He paused for a moment. Surely someone else would be along soon, if they weren't already. He didn't need to get involved.

"I'm through playing the action hero..."

He couldn't remember when he'd begun thinking that, but it was a thought that haunted him anytime something like this came up. Still, he couldn't just let it be. No one was coming no matter how long he waited. Then, he thought of a way to somewhat justify it to himself.

"Well, I could use a rest. This noise will make that a bit of a pain, so let's get rid of it, shall we?"

Setting his tools down, Junpei began absentmindedly digging around the area. The sound was getting closer. Nope, it was getting farther away again. Okay now it was farther, was his hearing beginning to go? No, no it was definitely getting closer. He continued this for minutes on end before he finally found what he'd been looking for: a lone baby, likely no more than a few weeks old.

"You sure are a loud one."

Junpei took the babe in his arms and found that the blanket wrapped around it was drenched.

"Shit, that won't do, you'll die of pneumonia."

He glanced around, looking for something to put the child in that wasn't soaked to the brim in this storm. Then he found it, sitting right atop his head. The helmet he'd been using that day was nice and thick, and it left his hair one of the few dry places on his body. He gently lay the child down for a moment while he removed his head-wear.

"There, like it was made for you, little fella."

He then rushed as carefully as he could to his home. He arrived, utterly soaked to the bone, but luckily the baby hadn't gotten too wet in comparison. He quickly found some clean rags and toweled off his new companion.

"You sure are a lucky kid. Who knows what would've happened out there if I hadn't been around. Especially with how tiny you are. Like a damn ant."

He then paused for a moment.

"No. Hell, you're small enough to be a quark. How on earth you got a set of lungs that loud is beyond me."

Once that was done, he quickly wrapped the child in one of his few clean shirts and began checking it out. Fever? No. Injuries? Nothing he could see. After a few more moments, Junpei finally felt that he could breath a sigh of relief and lay back to relax for a moment. Then the familiar cry rang out again.

"Damn, how much more of that can you do? What's the matter now?"

For next few hours, Junpei was kept busy, making sure the baby was changed and fed. Luckily he happened to have a neighbor stop by who had some formula to spare, though getting the kid to eat at all was a task in and of itself.

"Y'know we can't really be picky here kid, there's only so much of it to go around."

Finally, after exasperation and trials, the child fell to sleep, leaving Junpei to sit alone, the light of a candle dancing about the room.

"Now, what to do with you..."

The kid couldn't stay, that was for sure. Even if Junpei had any experience raising kids, there was no way he'd be able to provide a good home; it was hard enough getting by by himself. He sat in his chair, wondering what the best course of action would be.

He awoke hours later to the same cries that had started all this. After a quick exam, he concluded that the kid was hungry again. He thankfully had just enough formula left to appease his new guest and he spent a short while longer with him. Whilst he did that, he continued thinking of what he should do.

"There has to be someone around here that can take care of this kid. But, if they couldn't handle it, they might drop him off at a settlement...maybe I could play babysitter on occasion? At least that way they'd definitely keep him. Oh, but I'd probably have to deal with more kids that way..."

Around and around in circles the thoughts cycled through his head. Eventually, he decided that he'd figure it out later, after he finished work. Grabbing his spare helmet, he carried the curious child in one hand, his tools in the other. Of course, he kept the baby a good distance away from his work area and he made sure to check on it every so often. He was going at a much slower pace as a result, yet somehow it didn't bother him much. His life up until then had been the same thing, day-in and day-out. This change in routine seemed to have removed some of the weight off his shoulders. Of course, the more that changed, the more he knew he couldn't do this regularly. 

The next day, Junpei took a day off from scavenging and went around the "neighborhood". Anyone who would open their door heard about Junpei's predicament. While a few considered, none of them were willing to take the child for themselves.

"Well, at least they gave us some donations; won't have to worry about your health for a while."

He had been rocking the baby in his arms as the night grew longer. What could he do?

It was then that a knock came from his door. Being careful to lay the kid down gently, so as to not wake him up, Junpei proceeded to the disturbance. It was one of the mothers he'd talked to earlier.

"Oh, Margaret, what are you doing here? Did you reconsider...?"

"Sorry, Junpei dear, I'm afraid I still can't. But I just felt so terrible leaving you to fend for yourself like that, I thought I'd at least give you some tips on parenting."

"Woah, parenting? I already told you, I can't take care of this kid. I don't have any stable income for starters. And even if I did, I'm not the kind of person fit to raise a kid."

"And any of us are? It just takes time and effort. You can make this work, you're stubborn that way."

After a few more moments of squabbling, Junpei relented and listened to what Margaret had to say.

\--Weeks later--

The baby laughed as Margaret tickled him. Then, a knock.

"Johnny, honey, could you get the door."

"Good thing I didn't put my feet up just yet."

The spouse then proceeded to the door and opened it to find Junpei's familiar face.

"Hey, John. You just get back?"

"Yeah, right before you got here, in fact."

He then moved to call out to his wife.

"Marge, Junpei's here for the kid."

Junpei quietly stepped inside, carefully bringing a brown paper sack along with him.

"Thanks for watching him again, must not be easy with two others you have to deal with."

"It's no trouble at all dear. Quark's been an angel like always."

"At least he is to one of us. Well," Junpei quickly opened his mysterious package and brought it to the kind mother, "Hopefully this should be enough."

He had in his possession dozens of five dollar bills.

"Oh my, there's no need for that..."

"I insist. I finally got my hands on some rare materials, so I figured I'd pay back your kindness."

He then added, under his breath, "This will probably be my last chance to do it."

"Why what do you mean?"

"Well, turns out my eyes are still good enough to spot some great finds. A friend of mine offered to hire me to check out some old buildings he managed to get the deeds for. He's going to drive me out closer to them. I most likely won't be able to return any time soon."

Junpei's expression then turned sour. He opened his mouth to speak, but Margaret beat him to the punch.

"If you're about to ask me to take him in, I'm afraid I can't. It's one thing to watch him for a while, but we can't provide enough for him. Besides, you're his guardian."

"Margaret, I need you to understand, I can't take him. I won't have anywhere to put him while I'm out there working and I definitely won't have the time to take care of him. Please, I just want Quark to grow up somewhere he can be taken care of."

"And what have you been doing when I can't take him? The other mothers haven't, we've talked to them already. So, what is your excuse now?"

"Excuse? You think that I'm just trying to run away? Believe me, I want what's best for Quark, that's why I-"

"Stop being afraid. I know that's what this is about. When you first came to live around here, you told everyone that you were only going to be here for a short while. Then, when you stayed, you said that you'd given up searching for what you wanted most. Now, you're using this move as an excuse so you don't get anymore attached to this child than you are. If anything happened while you were up there, you'd never be able to forgive yourself, right?"

The tears welling up in Junpei's eyes were quickly wiped away by his aging hand.

"I just..."

"I know how you feel. Our first born wasn't so lucky. Johnny and I almost didn't even consider having more after that, but we pushed forward. I know a stubborn goat like you can do the same. And I know that you are the best chance this child has at the life he deserves."

\----

Junpei was beat. He quickly sat down on his armchair and kicked his shoes off. A creak came from the door he'd just entered through.

"Hey, grampa! Guess what I learned about today!"

"Was it how to massage your grampa's back?"

Junpei chuckled before listening to the boy talk excitedly about what the local "teacher" had taught Quark that afternoon. It had certainly been a journey, but he would always be grateful for being pushed to take that risk raising the tiny child he'd found in the rain.


End file.
